Uconn

Bridgeport could be in UConn's regular plans BY ROGER CLEAVELANDRepublican-American

Kentucky's Kastine Evans, left, and Connecticut's Kelly Faris, right, scramble for the ball during the second half of a regional final game in the NCAA college basketball tournament in Bridgeport, Conn., Monday, April 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

BRIDGEPORT — Bridgeport did well enough hosting the regional that UConn could considering hosting regular season games at Webster Bank Arena next season, or in the future, for both men's or women's basketball.

The Huskies' contract with the XL Center in Hartford expired at the end of this season, creating an opportunity to play games elsewhere like both Bridgeport and Mohegan Sun Arena. Previously, the contract with the XL Center prevented UConn from playing regular season home games elsewhere in the state other than on campus at Gampel Pavilion.

"We are going to get through the negotiations with the XL Center and figure out what we are going to do, and then we will decide if there is anything available at that point to move around the state," UConn athletic director Warde Manuel said. "The possibility exists for us to look at other places as an option. Even if we were to be granted the option doesn't automatically mean we are going to do it."

In the past, it was difficult for the Huskies to look elsewhere, because they were selling 16,000 tickets for each game at the XL Center. With attendance waning, it makes less sense to pay the huge fee the XL Center demands to play games there if the Huskies don't maximize ticket sales. The smaller Webster Bank and Mohegan Sun arenas create a better atmosphere for games and give fans in Fairfield County and Southeastern Connecticut a chance to see the Huskies play.

"It also makes sense from a competitive standpoint," Manuel said. "Women's basketball is a good example. In a year where we know a regional is going to be (in Bridgeport) and we could potentially be in it, you look at giving our student-athletes the opportunity to come here and play a game in December because every year you get new student-athletes and you want them to see what the experience is like to play a game at the arena.

"So those kind of opportunities avail themselves, as well as the opportunity to bring games to our fans in different parts of the state."

Manuel said the situation is the same for both men's and women's basketball games. He made it clear that fans used to the convenience of going to games in Hartford need not worry. The bulk of the games will still be played in Storrs and Hartford.

"We are going to have games at Gampel, and we are going to have games at the XL Center," Manuel said. "That is going to be consistent. The question is, are we going to have an opportunity where we can to move a game here and there to other locations in the state."

Another sellout: Saturday's regional semifinals and Monday's final were sellouts at Webster Bank Arena with 8,594 fans in attendance. That's a big change from last year when the first- and second-round games drew only 4,563 and 4,372, respectively.

"From year to year things change, and the crowds get bigger and bigger it seems like," Kelly Faris said. "That is not something a lot of women's basketball teams get to say. The fact that we were fortunate enough in both the first and second (weekends) was big for us. I think we have the best fanbase in the country, and they support us no matter where we are at. I'm very grateful for that."

UConn coach Geno Auriemma was very impressed.

"Obviously, ticket prices were perfect compared to last year," Auriemma said. "The teams were the right four teams, maybe. The game times were perfect. Maybe just everything came together. But the atmosphere was amazing. It really, really was. They've done a magnificent job down here with this building. You look around and it's a really, really, really great place to play."

Repeat performance: Monday's game marked the second year in a row that the Huskies kept Kentucky from making its first NCAA tournament Final Four appearance.

It also marked only the third time UConn has played a team twice in the regional final.

The Huskies played LSU in the Elite Eight round in 2000 and 2007, and they played Duke in 2006 and in 2011. In each of those cases, the Huskies split the regional finals, winning one game and losing one. This marks the first time they have beaten the same team twice in the Elite Eight round.

Rising up the charts: Kelly Faris moved into a tie for fourth place all-time in UConn history for games played with 152. She is tied with Tina Charles (2006-10). If Faris plays two more games, she can pull into a tie with Tiffany Hayes (2008-12) and Maya Moore (2007-11) for the second-most games played. Kaleena Greene's program best 157 games is out of reach.

Five appearances: Kelly Faris and Heather Buck officially became the third and fourth players in NCAA Division I basketball history, men's or women's, to be on the team roster for five Final Fours.

The only two players previously to accomplish that feat were Khalilah Mitchell and Marian Whitfield, both from the LSU women's basketball team that appeared in five straight Final Fours (2004-08). Both played has redshirted their freshman season in 2004.

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